Spa dealers say keep water in hot tub clean to avoid risk of Legionnaires' disease
THE LATEST FORECAST.
THE WRAL WEATHER APP IS FREE.
>>> THE STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS
SAY LEGIONNAIRES OUTBREAK THAT
KILLED ONE PERSON AND SICKENED
MORE THAN 100 NEAR ASHEVILLE
MAY HAVE STARTED AT A HOT TUB
VENDOR'S DISPLAY.
OFFICIALS HAVE ISSUED
PRECAUTIONS FOR OTHER EVENTS
INCLUDING THIS WEEKEND'S
RALEIGH HOME SHOW.
WRAL'S LAURA LESLIE IS LIVE AT
THE RALEIGH CONVENTION CENTER
WHERE THAT SHOW STARTED TODAY.
>> Reporter: LEGIONNAIRES'
DISEASE IS A FORM OF BACTERIAL
PNEUMONIA THAT GETS TRANSMITTED
BY WATER VAPOR.
STATE HEALTH OFFICIALS TELL US
TODAY THEY STILL HAVE NOT
DEFINITIVELY CONFIRMED THE
SOURCE OF THE OUTBREAK THAT
THEY THINK IT WAS A HOT TUB
THAT WAS ON DISPLAY.
THEY HAVE TOLD VENDORS OF OTHER
EVENTS LIKE THIS ONE TO MAKE
SURE THAT ANYTHING THAT
PRODUCES WATER VAPOR IS
SANITIZED.
MANAGERS AND DISTRIBUTORS HERE
SAY THEY ARE ALREADY ON TOP OF
IT.
>> IT DOES HAVE IN-LINE
SANITATION.
IT SANITIZES ITSELF.
>> Reporter: ROD ADAMS HAS BEEN
IN THE HOT TUB BUSINESS FOR 20
YEARS.
HE SAYS HE HAS NEVER HEARD OF
ANYONE GETTING LEGIONNAIRES'
DISEASE FROM A CONTAMINATED HOT
TUB.
>> OF YOUR SANITIZING AND
MAINTAINING YOUR HOT TUB, IT IS
NOT AN ISSUE.
>> Reporter: LEGIONNAIRES'
DISEASE IS A TYPE OF BACTERIAL
PNEUMONIA.
PEOPLE ARE EXPOSED TO IT BY
BREATHING CONTAMINATED WATER
DROPLETS.
MOST HEALTHY PEOPLE DON'T CATCH
IT BUT OLDER PEOPLE AND THOSE
WITH WEAKENED IMMUNE SYSTEMS OR
BREATHING PROBLEMS CAN BE MORE
SUSCEPTIBLE.
IT IS NOT COMMON BUT IT CAN
HAPPEN IN SPAS OR WATER MISTERS
OR AIR HANDLING SYSTEMS THAT
ARE NOT CLEANED CORRECTLY.
ADAMS SAYS IF SOMEONE DID NOT
ADD SANITIZER TO A HOT TUB AT
THE MOUNTAIN STATE FAIR, IT IS
THEORETICALLY POSSIBLE.
>> DUE TO WHAT HAPPENED AT THE
FAIR UP IN THE MOUNTAINS,
OBVIOUSLY WE WILL TAKE SOME
PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AND PUT
SOME ADDITIONAL SANITIZER IN.
>> Reporter: REAL ESTATE AGENT
JENNY CANTOR SAYS THE OUTBREAK
LAST MONTH DOES NOT MAKE HER
WORRY ABOUT HER OWN SAFETY.
>> IT IS ALARMING YOU COULD SAY
BUT I DON'T THINK IT WOULD BE
SOMETHING YOU WOULD RUN INTO
VERY FREQUENTLY.
IT SEEMS LIKE IT MAY BE A ONE-
OFF THING.
>> Reporter: LEGIONNAIRES'
DISEASE IS PRETTY RARE.
IN 2017, THERE WERE 213 CASES
IN NORTH CAROLINA.
THAT IS TWO CASES PER 100,000
PEOPLE.
RALEIGH HOME SHOW MANAGER
CHIARA BROOKS IS NOT TAKING ANY
CHANCES.
SHE SAYS VENDORS ARE REQUIRED
TO TEST WATER ITEMS SEVERAL
TIMES A DAY.
SHE SAYS THEY HAVE HAD THE SAME
VENDORS FOR YEARS AND HAVE
NEVER HAD A PROBLEM.
>> WE TAKE PRECAUTIONARY
MEASURES LIKE WE ALWAYS DO.
THERE IS ZERO REASON WHY
ANYBODY WOULD HAVE A FEAR OF
COMING TO THE DOWNTOWN RALEIGH
HOME SHOW.
>> ALTHOUGH LEGIONNAIRES IS
RARE, IT CAN BE DANGEROUS.
MANY PEOPLE WHO GET IT DO END
UP IN THE HOSPITAL.
THAT WAS TRUE FOR 80 OF THE 124
PEOPLE WHO CONTRACTED IT LAST
MONTH.
>>> WHAT ABOUT OTHER DEVICES
THAT PRODUCE MISSED LIKE A
HUMIDIFIER OR OIL DIFFUSER?
>> Reporter: EXPERTS WOULD SAY
THAT YOU WOULD HAVE TO BE
PRETTY WARM WATER THAT IS
STAGNANT FOR A PRETTY LONG TIME
IN ORDER FOR THIS PARTICULAR
BACTERIA TO DEVELOP.
WHAT THEY ARE TELLING THE
VENDORS HERE TO DO AND WHAT YOU
WILL SEE ON MOST OF THOSE
INSTRUCTIONS FOR THINGS LIKE
VAPORIZERS AND HUMIDIFIERS IS
TO EMPTY THEM OUT OCCASIONALLY
AND TO DISINFECT THEM TO MAKE
SURE THAT LEGIONNAIRES OR MANY
COMMON DISEASES THAT YOU CAN